After a snowy weekend, the snowbanks are back. Much of Upper Michigan got blasted over the weekend, with the eastern end of the U.P. getting hit the hardest. The U.P. 200 Sled Dog Race was shortened due to heavy snow. Late Friday evening, as weather conditions erased trail markers between Wetmore
and Grand Marais, U.P. 200 trail managers made the call to cut the race in
half. It ended Saturday afternoon in Grand Marais, rather than Sunday in
Marquette. The planned 240-mile race ended up being closer to 120 miles long.
The forecast through this week calls for a chance of snow each day with temperatures in the mid 20s.

NMU student wins gold and silver

Shani Davis on the medal stand in Turino.
Photo courtesy AP.

Shani Davis, a Marquette High School graduate and NMU junior from Chicago, captured gold in the men's 1,000-meter and silver in the 1,500-m long track speedskating events in Turino. Davis is a former USOEC resident athlete and returns to Marquette every summer to train and continue his education at Northern. Davis became the first African-American to win an individual medal in the Winter Olympics.

Northern Michigan University pre-med student Nicole Perrier scrubs in and puts on a gown before entering the Neonatology Intensive Care Unit at Marquette General Hospital. She is there to observe and learn from her mentor, Dr. Julia Frei, who will conduct careful examinations of the unit's newborn patients.

"I am so amazed at what they can do in the NICU,” Perrier said. “Dr. Frei is a very good teacher. She gave me a briefing and then I started going on rounds with her. She points out things to me during examinations, introduces me to the families, and lets me sit in when she discusses issues with them. She also introduced me to the nurses, who've been very receptive to me being there. I'm just there to observe, but it's nice that Dr. Frei allows me to be involved in so many aspects of her profession."

Perrier has been matched with Frei for more than two years through the "preceptorship" component of Northern's pre-med program. She said it has been invaluable in affirming and guiding her future career goals.Full story.

Science Olympiad gains sponsors

The NMU Foundation is pleased to announce that Range Bank in Negaunee and Snyder Drugs in Ishpeming have each pledged $7,500 over three years to support the U.P. Region I Science Olympiad Tournament, an annual tournament coordinated and hosted by the NMU Seaborg Center. Pictured are (from left) Roxanne Daust and Kenneth Palmer of Range Bank, Ann Joyal (Seaborg Center), and Scott Reilly of Range Bank. Science Olympiad is a nationwide program founded in 1983, sponsoring academic competitions in science, technology and mathematics. The events are designed to encourage teamwork and stimulate creative problem solving. They are keyed to national and state teaching standards. The U.P. Region I tournament, held at NMU Feb. 11, featured about 300 middle- and high-school student participants and 125 volunteers.

"Closer Than Ever" closer than ever

Jessica Luiz, Tony Pruett and
Arianne Hakkola.

The finishing touches are being put on the staging, the singing, the lighting, the scenery, the costumes and the choreography in preparation for Northern Michigan University's upcoming production of "Closer Than Ever."
"Closer Than Ever" is a musical montage; an extravaganza celebrating life, love and the dignity and dilemma of being human.
Director Paul Truckey '87 has assembled a talented cast of 15. Six women and six men, along with three dancers, perform the musical numbers, each of which is a miniature play in and of itself.
Because of the demand for tickets an extra Tuesday night performance has been added. "Closer Than Ever" opens Tuesday, February 28 and runs through Saturday, March 4.
Tickets are on sale at the Forest Roberts Theatre box office weekdays from noon to 5. Credit card reservations can be made by phone at 906-227-1032 or online at www.nmu.edu/tickets

" I was in Marquette last weekend to visit some old friends. In light of the fact that I hadn't been in Marquette during the winter in at least a couple of decades, I was hoping to see some snow. This sounds crazy, but I was even looking forward to the possibility of getting caught in a heavy snowstorm. Down here in Illinois, we haven't had any snow at all this year. The lack of snow in Marquette was the only disappointment to my trip. I still miss the laid back life of the U.P. and before I left town on Monday, I made sure to fill my cooler with a half dozen pasties from Jean Kay's. So long Marquette. I'll be back again soon."
Steven Mastricola '76
"Disneyland" House/Payne Hall
Rockford, Ill.smastricola@yahoo.com